Reviews:

Tantrum – Advice To Users Reloda – March 11, 2007
The full title of Tantrum’s second album is ‘Advice To Users Of Life: Work Less and Earn Less and Spend Less and Do More’ which sort of sums up where the music’s coming from. Smoke More should also be in the title as its a sonic journey full of fuzzy shards and pretty nuances and seems to have been recorded one-step left of anywhere. Its a bit like the introspective indie band Submarine from the Nineties who released one full studio album of wonderful slow fuzzy guitar gems that seemed to hang in the air waiting for someone to come along and blow them away.

Floppy Records is an independent Edinburgh label dedicated to emerging bands more or less from the local area. Among the diverse productions the label has produced (which previously included Fake Tan, Boris Boogaloo and Tinkerbell’s Dope Ring) we would draw your attention to two outfits which are very interesting both in the quality of their production and their embracing of a unique sound.

1. Tantrum began in 1995, and it is only with this new recording that they have completed their second album. In reality, they consist of a duo revolving around the figures of Nikki Grant & Tom Fraser, whose sound comprises guitar,bass vocals, samples and drums.

‘Advice to Users’ is a mixture of lo fi, noise, shoegaze, indie and acid rock which likes to alternate between electric and placid states. Pieces such as ‘White’ ‘Ywork’ and ‘Chickpea’ which suggests a fresh ambience and whose tempo carries on in the style of shoegazing. The flavour of their sound inevitably recalls My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive.

Worthy of note is also the attractive voice of Nikki, which is both velvet and soft. ‘Liftoff’ & ‘princess’ Contrasting with the guitar, feedback and melody like Motorpsycho & Sonic Youth, while ‘Emergeny Poncho’ puts them on the verge of trip hop.

In conclusion, ‘Advice to Users’ is an soft listen (? could be translated in a number of ways – NOT easy listening you’ll be pleased to know! But hints at an ‘easy to the ear’ type of translation)

The ideal disc to relax to and find yourself refuge in a small but vital aural space, a long way from the strains of modern life. On the other hand, this advice to users is clear – work less, earn less spend less and do more.

Review by Tim Emswiler (StonerRock.com)
Abandon all preconceptions, ye who enter here, because this ain’t your daddy’s (or, I suspect, your) stoner rock. In fact, it’s not really rock at all. But if you’re the smoking type, this will do ya just fine. The complete album title is Advice to Users of Life: Work Less and Earn Less and Spend Less and Do More, so that alone oughta tell ya that what you’re getting into here is something a little bit different. It’s also good to have sex to (that’s my guess, anyway – I’m saving myself for marriage). This was recorded in Scotland, although there is no indication of where the band is from, or even who is in the band, but I get the impression that one person does most of the work here. More detailed liner notes, please, unless that whole enigmatic thing is part of your deal.

Just in the space of the first two tracks, we go from a fairly fuzzy guitar drone with meaty drums creating a solid foundation, to an ambient, almost Cocteau Twins-y ambient piece that is soft as velvet and wraps you up in ethereal female vocals and echo-y effects. In fact, I would say that every track here could be described as ambient. No guitar rave-ups here – you get samples and fuzz and quietness and prettiness with some infrequent heavyosity, all rather trippy, and, if I may say so, rather un-American sounding, which is to say nothing more than that this stuff tends to go over better in the UK than it does here, perhaps because they never had Southern rock over there.

Another thing that sets this apart from the pack is that every track is available for download in the MP3 format, and, because this was recorded under something called the Creative Commons License, the press release states that “everybody is welcome to distribute, remix and generally mess around with these tracks.” If that isn’t art for art’s sake, I don’t know what is. Get this, smoke it if ya got it, and let the music wash over you. The waves are mostly bathwater-warm (not the same as “lukewarm”– the bathwater thing is meant as praise), with the occasional icy blast to keep you on your toes. One of the more multi-dimensional discs I’ve heard in a good long time.

(i think this is turkish, i have no idea what it says – anyone has any ideas please email me. Just been told that the words beautiful and good are in there so thats a start)

Tantrum – two albums – FreeAlbumBlog
Advice To Users was released in 2006. Tantrum continues the pattern of floating voices over deep layers of sound. “Princess” is especially engaging as its Grant’s voice lulls you into a dream then jolts you awake with high-voltage guitars. “Emergency Poncho” has a Sonic Youth echo to it. Both albums are recommended to those who like their rock music to be spacy and intelligent.

Skinnymag
It’s easy to love the vocals on ‘Advice to Users’. I’m not sure what effects are used on them and what other technical wizardry is employed, but they’re ghostly, ominous, beautiful and kind of other-worldly. Elsewhere there are equally immaculate electronics and effects on the guitars. Unfortunately though, as Tantrum approach the inevitable distorted ‘climax’ at the end of every song, they seem to throw out their quality control. Ultimately, all of the detail is lost and the band flounder for an eloquent way to end the song. Operating to some peverse internal formula, each track begins as being amazingly intricate before gradually stripping away the excitement as they progress. That said, there are enough of moments of legend amongst the melee for those haphazard segments to be forgiven, and maybe even embraced.

Tantrum/Lift Off. Sirensounds
This is an MP3 song available to download for free at Floppy Records and is taken from Scottish band Tantrum’s long awaited album “Advice To Users”. This track is ace, and when I get broadband I will be downloading the whole of the album! They use loads of cool effects on their guitars, kind of grungy. The whole album is free to download, or you can buy it direct from Floppy Records.

Beard Summer 2005, Issue 4.
‘Four years in the making, its dreamy layers of phased vocals, treated guitars and featherlight drums inevitably lead to My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins comparisons, but this band hold their own.’

is this music, issue 15, june 2005
‘Liftoff’ is included on the cover cd.
For the hard-up reader, if there is one album we can whole heartedly recommend this issue, it’s this one. Not least because (for those equipped with an internet connection) it’s free. Downloadable mp3s of the 7 tracks on this long-awaited album are available at www.floppyrecords.co.uk. Which is remarkable for many reasons, none least that this album has been eleven years in the making (mainly 2001-4, we’re told). But aren’t mp3s ten-a-penny you ask? Yes, but from the count-in of ‘Liftoff’ through to the seismic closing of ‘Chickpea’, Tantrum make a mighty noise which is hard to ignore. In short, a collection of pulsating guitar effects, delicate tunes and occasional scattered samples. OK, very little music is is truly original but Tantrum take a bunch of disparate influences and merge them together with exciting results. When the disembodied female vocals kick in the easy reference is Cocteau Twins, until drowned in swathes of sound, just for the the track to be brought back from the brink with a delicate guitar line. The sound could be Belle and Sebastian returning home after an Explosions in the Sky gig, or the Wedding Present’s secret shoegazing project – all the unlikely images conjured up when immersed in this bright and vibrant collection of sounds. At a tenner this would be to value, so this is double welcome. 5/5.

the jockrock blog…
Most impressive was a CD from Tantrum – again, a band I’ve heard before, but their Advice to Users album – actually a freely downloadable collection of mp3s at www.floppyrecords.co.uk – came in a muslin bag – hand-stitched, with a faux-leather label. I had to cut it open to get at the delightful mess of Cocteaus/Spacemen 3/MBV sounds within. Already Stewart Smith of fine award-winning zine Beard has also noticed Tantrum rise through the pile of CDs on his desk, so their ploy must be working.

However, the plan may be doomed to failure. Most journalists aren’t allowed scissors…

I’m still a sucker for loud noisy guitars. Tantrum, from Scotland, have two releases on Floppy Records. Some samples from Advice To Users: Liftoff, Emergency Poncho. I particularly liked Emergency Poncho, that’s exactly what the weather is like here on Vancouver Island at this time of year. Some lovely dreamy sounds from the earlier release, Maisie’s Friend: Pills and Dreams, Filmsong part 2. Earhead Blog